Car-coupling.



S. W. WRIGHT.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED mac 2, 1907.

938,104. v Patented 0013.26, 1909.

"mm! T v as am I ,2 f [N VEN TOR siding at Eden,

SYRUS W. WRIGHT, OF EDEN, ALABAMA.

' CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Application filed December 2, 1907. Serial No. 404,798.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYR s WASHINGTON WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, re-

in the county of St. Clair and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in automatic car couplers which have a knuckle pivoted to a drawhead and have a tailwing adapted to swing in a horizontal plane and enter a recess in the drawhead which contains a locking device.

The chief purposes of my invention are to provide a coupler which is positive in its operation, cheap to manufacture, and which, with a minimum number of parts, will perform all of the desired operations to insure perfect safety to operators. To this end I provide a simple integral locking pin provided with a projection which works in an inclined groove in a vertical end face of the tailwing, the pin being adapted, in its locking position, to be interposed between a shoulder in the drawhead and a portion of the tailwing to positively lock the knuckle.

A further object of my invention is to positively connect the locking device with its operating crank so that, by moving it positively up or down, its cooperation with the inclined groove will act to adjust the knuckle to any desired position. Also by this means I dispense with chains, which are likely to foul the locking device and interfere with its operation, while leaving the drawhead free to move longitudinally without interfering with said positive connection.

My invention comprises other features of novelty which are hereinafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1, is a perspective of a coupler and its operating mechanism complete with the parts in coupled osition. Fig. 2, is a horizontal sectional view through the drawhead showing the knuckle and its tailwing in plan.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view through the drawhead. Fig. 4, is a detail view of the knuckle and its tailwing. Fig. 5, is a detail view of the locking device. I

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The drawhead 1 is of ordinary construction and has a knuckle 2 pivotally connected to one side thereof by a pin 3 and provided with a tailwing 41, which is adapted to swing into the recess 5 of the drawhead. This tailwing, as seen in Figs. 1 and 6, is provided with a slanting face 6 facing to the front of the coupler and terminates in a vertical end wall 7 in which is formed a slanting or inclined slot 8. At the base of the wall 7 I provide a locking extension 9 level with the base of the slot which is cut away to form a face 10, which sets back slightly from the front face of the tailwing and is overhung by the lower end of the upper wall of the slot. Within the drawhead and cast integral therewith is a guide 11 which receives the locking device 12, being disposed at a slight incline, as may be seen in Fig. 3. This locking device consists of an integral steel pin preferably rectangular in cross section and provided at its upper end with a shouldered portion 13 which rests upon the top of the drawhead and is formedwith an eye 14: for engagement with the operating mechanism. At its lower end the device is provided with a pin or stud 15 adapted to ride in the groove 8. Directly in line with the lower end of the guide 11 I form or otherwise provide a recess 16 in the bottom wall of the recess in the drawhead, into which the locking device is moved and seats itself when in its locking position.

The operating means for the locking device comprises a bar 17 suitably ournaled on an end of the car 18, and provided at its outer end with a hand crank 19 and at its inner end with a curved lifting crank 20, which passes freely through the eye 14; of the locking device. As may be seen by reference to Fig. 3, the manner in which the crank 20 engages with the locking device will permit free longitudinal adjustment of the drawbar and drawhead.

In operation, assuming that the parts stand in coupled position, as shown in Fig. 3, with the lower end of the locking device seated in the recess ,16 and engaging the face 10 of the tailwing to lock the knuckle against an opening movement, if now it be desired to open the knuckle for coupling, the crank 20 is lifted and as the pin 15 moves upwardly with the locking device, it enages the upper overhanging inclined wall of the slot 8, as may be seen in Fig. 6. The continued lifting movement applied to the locking device will cause the pin to act with a wedging effect against the upper wall of w asp-Em the slot to force the tailwing outwardly and open the knuckle. In its upper position the pin 15 will rest in the upper end of the slot and will remain there until the incoming knuckle engages and forces the tailwing inwardly. As this occurs the upper wall of the slot will reverse the action which occurs in opening the knuckle above described and will act with a wedging action against the pin 15 of the locking device and will force the latter with a rapid positive movement downwardly until it moves in front of the shoulder 10 and enters the recess 16, thereby locking the knuckle and perfecting the coupling action. WVhen the parts stand in the position with the pin 15 at the top of the slot, the knuckle can be readily moved to its closed position by turning the crank to force the pin downwardly when it acts against the under inclined wall of the slot to move the tailwing inwardly.

Where it may be desired to provide a positive means acting on the bar 17 to hold the locking device in its raised position, this end can be accomplished by providing a catch or lip 21 on a clip 22, forming the outer bearing for the bar 17 and fastening a clamp 23 on the bar 17 and providing it with a tooth 24L which will engage the lip 21 and hold the bar 17 and crank 20 in their raised position, when the bar is slipped to its extreme position toward the left. Under normal condition the bar stands in the position shown, in which case the tooth 24 will clear the lip 21 and the bar 17 will operate as hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing it will be seen that with a minimum number of parts my coupler will perform every desired operation positively and under all conditions and presents no features of construction which render it more complicated or expensive than the other standard couplings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An automatic car coupler of the Janney type comprising a recessed drawhead and knuckle pivotally mounted therein and provided with a tailwing which swings into the recess in said drawhead, locking devices for positively opening and closing said knuckle which'comprise on the one part a vertically movable locking pin, external mechanism for positively raising and lowering said pin,'and inclined walls disposed at the inner end of said tailwing with one of which walls said pin co-acts in opening the 2. An automatic car coupler of the J an ney type comprising a recessed drawhead, a knuckle having a tailpiece pivotally mount.- ed in said drawhead, said tailpiece being adapted to swing into said recess in said drawhead, a locking pin in said drawhead, guides for said pin which hold it against lateral movement, a pair of parallel inclined faces disposed at the inner end of said tailpiece, said pin in its lowered position acting to block the outward movement of the tailpiece, and in its raised position to effectively engage one of said inclined faces to open the knuckle, and the other of said faces to close the knuckle, in combinationwith an operating mechanism for the pin designed to give it positive opening and closing movements.

3. A car coupler of the class described comprising a drawhead provided with a repositively opening and closing said knuckle. 7

4. A car coupler of the'class described comprising a drawhead provided with arecess, a swingingknuckle having a tailwing movable in said recess, and a vertically movable pin for positively opening and closing said knuckle, the lower end of said pin locking the knuckle in closed position.

5. A car coupler of the class described comprising a drawhead having a recess therein, a swinging knuckle having/ a tailwing movable in said recess, said tails wing being provided with aslot near its outer end formed between 1 two inclined walls, and a vertically slidingzlocking pin, which, in the closed position of the knuckle abuts and locks the said tailwing, and provided with a projection disposed with reference to said slot. so that upon raising the locking pin said projection will engage the upper wall of said slot.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribingwit- NoMIE WEKH. 

